


Take Care

by paperdream



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Confrontations, Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M, Post MAG 132, The Magnus Archives Season 4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:13:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27638035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paperdream/pseuds/paperdream
Summary: vague s4 au where Peter Lukas targets Basira instead of Martin, but mostly actually JonMartin confessing their feelings :)
Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist
Comments: 3
Kudos: 69





	Take Care

**Author's Note:**

> this was originally gonna be the dark reveal scene for the flesh!martin fic i posted earlier today, but then i realized the scene was 1k long, jon was asleep, and I'd forgotten to include either the "dark" OR the "reveal" parts of "dark reveal" soooooo here

Jon had been quietly thrilled, when he’d come back to work and found Martin a s  kind and soft and attentive as ever. His assistant’s reliable presence and perfectly prepared tea were a balm against the worries and pressures of his position, but more than that, they came from  _Martin_ . Jon didn’t know exactly what he felt, especially after reviewing all the tapes from his absence and finding the one containing Martin’s confrontation with Elias, but he knew he wanted to be close to Martin. A facsimile bringing tea  and comfort in his place wouldn’t be the same- it was Martin himself whose presence Jon  had started to crave .

Even with the practical issues of their positions mostly dissolved by Jon’s inability to fire Martin, he was hesitant to say anything, to make a move on his own. Even though he knew, based on his estimation of the length of Martin’s crush, if it still existed, that the other man was unlikely to act first.

After dragging themselves out of the coffin,  Daisy had been taken to A&E to see what could be done about her malnourishment and atrophied limbs,  while Jon had cleaned most of the dirt off in the terrible water pressure of the basement shower and collapsed, exhausted, onto his cot in the tunnels. He hadn’t expected Martin to appear, but he was happy to see him.

“Martin!” He sat up and his smile spread even wider. He couldn’t seem to stop grinning, ever since they surfaced. He’d  done  something right, something  _good_ , and for the first time in a long time the Archives had an unqualified victory. Even if he wasn’t human anymore, Jon could still prove his value. High off success, he blurted out, “Could we move out cots closer together?”

Martin’s face had been fixed in a stiff, unnameable expression, but it lightened into surprise at the words. “What?”

Jon blushed, but since he’d started he may as well  plow through . He stared at his lap. “I just- It gets lonely, down here. It always has and I don’t want to intrude, you don’t have to say yes! But especially after- after the Buried, I think I would appreciate being able to hear someone else nearby.”  Martin kindly didn’t comment on how his voice cracked in the middle of his sentence.

The silence that followed was long enough for Jon to envision a detailed scenario of folding himself into a tiny, dense pebble of embarrassment and skipping himself across the ocean until he sank into the unfathomable depths, where he could never humiliate himself like this again.  When Martin did answer, his voice was unbearably soft, and made Jon glad he still hadn’t looked up from his lap. “Of course, Jon.” His voice became a bit more firm. “Yes, I think that would be a good idea.”

Jon looked up, smile still playing around the edges of his mouth, but it fell when he saw the look on Martin’s face. “Is something the matter?”

Martin sighed. “Can I sit?”

Jon nodded, scooting over and curling his legs to his chest.  If he let himself fall into Martin’s shoulder, well, he figured it could be excused this once, considering what he’d just been through.

“You have to stop doing this, Jon!” The words burst out of Martin like something that had been held back a long time, echoing against the tunnel walls. Jon jolted upright, eliminating the contact between their bodies and looking over at Martin. Before he could ask for clarification, Martin continued, “I mean, Daisy tried to  _kill_ you! And going after her, you could have died!”

“I don’t think so, actually.” He rolled his shoulders uncomfortably, “The Buried doesn’t generally let its victims die. We would have just… stayed there.”

“That’s not better Jon!”

“Right. Sorry.” He ducked his head.

Martin sighed. “You need… I need you to take care of yourself.  I need you to be safe. You’re too important.”

Jon snorted bitterly, “What,  _the Archivist_ -”

“No, Jon.  _You_ are important. To me. Jonathan Sims, the man, is important to me.” Martin’s voice started to get quieter towards the end, embarrassed, but it stayed firm with conviction.

“Oh.” Jon glanced over to Martin, but he avoided eye contact. Jon swallowed. “You’re important to me too, Martin.” Martin’s lips twisted into an ironic grin, so Jon surged ahead, “I’m not just saying that! These past few months, I don’t know what I would have done without you! And before… well, I’m sorry for how I treated you before. You deserved better and I’m sorry. And I’m sorry for worrying you.”

Martin was looking at him now, and Jon returned his gaze shyly. When was the last time he’d spent this long talking about feelings with another person? Much less been received positively. “You don’t regret doing it, though.”

Jon shifted awkwardly. “I mean… Daisy’s  _back_ , Martin. I actually  _helped_ someone this time.”

Martin sighed, pulling Jon back into his side in a half-hug. Jon figured it was a day for reckless bravery- or a few days, given how long he’d been in the coffin, but he hadn’t slept so he was counting it as all one day- so he didn’t filter the words that bubbled to mind next. “When I say you’re important to me, Martin, I mean it as more than just… coworkers. Or friends.”

Martin’s head jerked up in surprise. “Jon…”

“I listened to the tape of you and Elias,” Jon babbled out, trying to say everything before he lost his nerve, “ Is it- are the things he said still true?” Martin nodded mutely. Jon burned the last of his bravado, and leaned forward to kiss him lightly. “Me, too.” Then, the exhaustion of the day, the struggle of climbing through near-solid earth followed by unprecedented emotional risk, hit him at once, and instead of leaning back he slumped forward into Martin’s chest. “Sorry,” he tried to laugh, “tired.”

Martin’s hand came up to his back, gently maneuvering him into a more comfortable position laying against his shoulder. Jon let his eyes fall shut, and just before sleep took him he heard Martin whisper into his hair, “I’m going to take care of you.”

**Author's Note:**

> follow my chicanery and send me prompts over on tumblr @inklingofadream


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